Hatch Act reforms head to President Barack Obama's desk

12/19/12 5:42 PM EST

President Barack Obama is about to receive the first legislation in nearly two decades to make major changes to the Hatch Act, the federal law aimed at separating partisan politics and official government business.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House of Represenatives passed on a voice vote a Senate bill that would free most state and local government employees to run for federal office. At the moment, they cannot do so if even a portion of the funding for their job comes from the federal government. The new measure would apply the prohibition only to those whose jobs are fully funded by the federal government.

The Senate passed the legislation last month by unanimous consent.

The bill also allows a range of punishments for violations of the Hatch Act's prohibitions on fundraising and politicking while on duty. Under current law, the presumptive punishment is termination of employment and the minimum punishment is a suspension of 30 days without pay.

The federal official who enforces the Hatch Act, Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner, welcomed the proposed changes.

"This is a victory for good government,” Lerner said in a statement Wednesday. “The bipartisan sponsors of this reform deserve credit for recognizing a problem and acting swiftly to address it. Local communities around the country will benefit from this reform.”

The legislation does not address some other criticisms of the Hatch Act, like the notion that its restrictions on fundraising are outdated in an era of e-mail communications. There have also been disputes about how the Hatch Act and related laws apply to White House employees, especially in the wake of an Office of Special Counsel report last year that found President George W. Bush's White House broke the law when it allowed low to mid-level staffers to do political work during regular work hours.

Bush White House officials disagreed with the legal analysis and said their actions were consistent with historical practice of the staffs of other presidents.